Erin Tierney Kramp Scholarship Recipients
 

Dylan Lewis
2007-2008 Recipient

Dylan Lewis might have mistaken his father's abuse as tough love when he was a child; the youngster often was battered when his dad had been drinking. And although his grades were good in school, his poor conduct reflected the abuse he was experiencing at home.

Over the years, his problems worsened: illegal drugs first alcohol and marijuana, then cocaine became part of his life; he was kicked out of high school; and robbery (to support his habit) landed him in jail. Adversity was Dylan's constant companion, but he says a year in jail helped him reconsider his path and turn his life around.

Since his 2004 release from jail, he has completed a two-year probation, has held a job for three years (with two promotions) and began to attend college. He is a full-time student and serves as vice president of leadership for Phi Theta Kappa, an academic honorary for two-year colleges. He also is a member of the EFC Communication Club, the Business and Information Systems Club, the Fashion Club, and Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Last year, he served as vice president of fellowship for PTK; in that capacity, he implemented a new annual Honors Study Topic Art Show.

Lewis, plans to attend Southern Methodist University after he finishes his associate's degree at Eastfield College. He also has volunteered in the community with Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Zuri Garcia
2006-2007 Recipient

Zuri Garcia is philosophical about the obstacles she has faced and overcome. Her mantra is: "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger.” Zuri has strengthened her resolve by learning from the mistakes of others.

Zuri sums up her childhood by stating, "Though my life may seem unstable and has been hard on me at times, I believe that these challenging lessons have shaped me.” She knows that taking responsibility is the key to her survival and success. She also knows that getting an education is critical to improving, growing, and becoming a productive adult.

The North Lake College student currently works as an administrative clerk in the Liberal Arts Teaching and Learning Center. Zuri is pursuing studies in education and plans eventually, to become a psychiatrist so that she can help others. She has participated in the American Cancer Society's "Relay for Life" and the Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure." She also has assisted with infant care at Oak View Baptist Church and continues to volunteer in her community.

Sara Hays
2005-2006 Recipient

Turning 12 and facing the challenges of being a teenager is a test for most young people but, for Sara Hays, that challenge included facing diabetes, learning a new lifestyle, failing and recuperating. Bouts with poor health, depression and drug addiction threatened to implode her future, but Sara fought back and enrolled at Eastfield College. Her dream now is to build a career that helps others overcome those same obstacles.

Today, Sara is enrolled at Eastfield College to study nursing so that she can become a certified diabetic educator and counselor. “I would like to share my experiences with other diabetics, help guide them through the hard times, answer questions and make the challenges that come with diabetes easier to understand and not so impossible to overcome.” The EFC student is president of the college’s Communications Club; she also played goalie for the school’s first women’s soccer team and has earned a 3.6 grade point average. She adds, “I’ve been clean and sober for two years, and I am still going strong. I have found happiness in all that I do.”

Julius Ejiofor
2005-2006 Recipient

To walk a mile in Julius Ejiofor’s shoes meant taking a 10-mile trek on foot each day to class in Cameroon, Africa. Obtaining an education in an underdeveloped country is difficult at the high school level. When Julius decided that his life’s dream was to become a physician, he knew that he had to leave his homeland and move to the United States to earn his college degrees. The move was tough, money was tight and the support – both financial and emotional – that he received from home ended abruptly following his father’s death last year. And yet the El Centro College student continues to thrive, succeed and help others reach for their dreams, too.

Before he traveled the thousands of miles that brought him to Dallas, Julius also served as a class proctor and was named the best student in chemistry, physics and mathematics, as well as the best all-around student in academics. He graduated as the top student in his high school and in the entire city of Ndu Town. At El Centro, Julius has a 4.0 GPA, is a member of the two-year college academic honorary Phi Theta Kappa, is listed on the president’s honor roll and also is a tutor in the Learning Center, where he continues to help others with mathematics. He also has volunteered in the community at Brentwood Place II nursing home and at the Veterans Hospital in Dallas.

Djurdjijana Bura
2004-2005 Recipient

Most Americans have seen war on television; Djurdjijana Bura has lived it.

The Richland College student, who was forced from her home in Croatia and who resettled with her family in Serbia and then the United States, left behind her grandmother - crying as her children and grandchildren departed - and a brother who was killed fighting in a bloody civil war. In spite of several relocations, immigration and language barriers, Djurdjijana's determination to obtain an education and to make life better and safer for others is obvious to her American teachers and friends. Her English is improving, and Djurdjijana took a full load of academically challenging classes, including AP courses. She graduated from Lake Highlands High School this May.

Djurdjijana wants eventually to study electrical engineering or medicine. "I'm grateful that I'm here in America, where maybe not everything is wonderful, but at least it's the best home I've ever had…without thinking about my safety constantly," said Djurdjijana. She believes that the U.S. gives people the chance to dream and to work toward those dreams. "I like this system because this system believes in us," she said.

Raul Magdaleno
2003-2004 Recipient

Raised in a dysfunctional home, Raul Magdaleno — who also immigrated to the U.S. at an early age — has rechanneled years of negative experiences into more than 30,000 hours of volunteer service in his community, part of his efforts to building a future through education and hard work.

Magdaleno has amassed more volunteer service hours in his young years than others accumulate in a lifetime. Many of those hours (more than 12,000 to date) have been spent working for Reconciliation Outreach, a shelter for battered women and children. He also has donated his community service time to organizations like the Buckner Children’s Home, “Feed the Children,” “Youth with a Mission” and others. A first-generation college student at Mountain View, Magdaleno says: “My service to the community has molded my leadership and discipline, and it has allowed me to build a solid foundation. It has prepared me for the challenge of life and has given me an opportunity to see the world through the eyes of others.” After finishing at Mountain View, he plans to transfer to Southern Methodist University. Magdaleno received the 2002 International U.S. Congressional Medal Award, the Reconciliation Outreach “2002 Volunteer of the Year” Award and the U.S. President’s Student Service Award for outstanding leadership in the community.

Mary Ann Sefzik
2003-2004 Recipient

Mary Sefzik hasn’t lost sight of her goal to attend college and combine a career in music with Christian radio, even though she hasn’t been able to see since the age of six weeks.

“My dream job would be to work in some capacity for a Christian radio station like KLTY or KCBI,” Sefzik says. “That would be an open door for me to share my faith in Christ, my love of music and my interest in radio.” A graduate of Poteet High School in Mesquite, the Eastfield College student graduated with a 3.89 grade point average. She was chosen to serve on the Texas Commission for the Blind’s Leaders in Transitional Excellence (LITE) Commission during her freshman and sophomore years at Poteet. She served as a member of the Youth Leadership Council at Casa View Baptist Church, as well as the Youth Praise team, during her senior year. Sefzik also was named 2002 Student of the Year by the Texas Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind. She has earned a 4.0 GPA at Eastfield and is an avid reader who enjoys history and writing. Sefzik learned how to read Braille music using a correspondence course over a three-year period, and she took a radio course at KEOM-FM in Mesquite last year.

Juretha Phillips
2002-2003 Recipient

Juretha Phillips, a single mother of four daughters and a grandmother, overcame drug addiction and HIV/AIDS to pursue her dream of becoming a licensed chemical dependency counselor and social worker.

LaShoud Powell
2002-2003 Recipient

LaShoud Powell grew up in an environment of drugs, crime and conflict, yet he bypassed those hazards and decided to earn a college degree so that he can become a pharmacist.

Jane Esperaneuva
2001-2002/2002-2003 Recipient

A graduate of Irving's Nimitz High School in 2000, Jane Esperaneuva has overcome adversity and earned a reputation as an excellent student. She was born in Guam and has lived in the United States for 16 years. She is fluent in Tagolog, the native language of the Philippines, and she knows the customs and cuisine of her native land, thanks to her parents. She learned to love learning from her parents, who once operated a successful restaurant in Dallas and later lost that business. Since then, Esperaneuva's father has assembled cabinets, and her mother has worked as a customer service representative, both working to support the family, eradicate the debt from their previous business and provide funds for Jane's education.

In 2000 she received President Bill Clinton's award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, the Dallas Mavericks' award for Outstanding Achievement and Dallas Morning News honors for Outstanding Achievement. That same year, she earned a superior rating medal for a violin solo and, in 1999, received a number one ranking in public speaking. She was elected president of the Nimitz High School Orchestra and its class officers.

Esperaneuva attended El Centro College between 2001- 2003 to pursue her dream to become a nurse. In summer 2004 she joined the Navy. "I want to do more for my country and hopefully continue toward my goal of earning my LVN license,” Esperaneuva says.

Carrieanne Clinton
2000-2001/2001-2002 Recipient

Carrieanne Clinton was born with VATER, a rare genetic syndrome. VATER is an acronym for a series of related congenital birth defects that are often seen together in the same child. Over the course of her life, she has had 30 major operations and 100 minor procedures. The final operation on her spinal cord came almost three years ago. Carrieanne was left bedridden, in a fetal position and in extreme pain. She was fed through a tube and received high amounts of pain medication. After winning a year-long battle with the insurance company, Carrieanne began rehabilitation. Within three months, several miracles took place. She was weaned off the pain medication, she was able to lower her legs and dreams of sitting became a reality once again. Now she is even standing and walking a little, much to the amazement of her doctors. She is currently working on a book to give hope to parents whose children are diagnosed with VATER syndrome.

Elizabeth Lepe
2000-2001/2001-2002 Recipient

At 2 years old, Elizabeth Lepe was an orphan in Mexico. Then at the age of 4, she went to live with her grandmother. However, her home life did not improve. She worked from daybreak to evening with little or nothing to eat. The only place she felt love and security was at school. The teachers were her family, and for years they nurtured her and fed her desire to learn.

As she grew older, the odds continued to weigh against her. Although she had no relatives and no money, Elizabeth had plenty of determination. She worked hard to become a high school graduate, and after doing so, left Los Reyes for Guadalajara to pursue her dreams of furthering her education. Elizabeth began technical school, but she remained hopeful that her ultimate dream of receiving a college degree would be accomplished. She was hired by an American company to come to the states and learn English, another step toward realizing her dream.

Elizabeth is bilingual and in her second year at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing a career in visual communications. This summer she is writing two feature films and plans to take a couple of summer classes at North Central Texas College.

Please click here to view one of the articles in the Austin American Statesman regarding Elizabeth’s filmmaking.

Sandy Hampton
1999-2000/2000-2001 Recipient

Sandy Hampton married into a physically and verbally abusive life at age 16. After seven years of extreme abuse, she finally succeeded in leaving her husband. Although she lived in an empty apartment and stood in soup lines to feed her children, she was thankful she had the chance to begin again. She has since remarried but has faced countless other obstacles, including the near death of her son. Sandy earned Associate of Sciences degree from Mountain View College and will continue pursue her bachelors degree by enrolling in fall ’03 classes.

Sandy works at Eastfield College in the Upward Bound program in the position of Information Specialist.

Gina Patterson
1999-2000/2000-2001 Recipient

Gina Patterson attended Mesquite High School, where she was an athlete in volleyball, basketball and track and field. After graduating in 1993, Gina was burned over 88 percent of her body in an accident that also took the lives of her father, sister and two friends. After undergoing 35 surgical procedures and over 2000 hours of both physical and occupational therapy, she was able to walk, write and perform other basic skills. Things often taken for granted she had to relearn 19 years later. In 1999, Gina played for the Eastfield College women's volleyball team. In 2000 and 2001, she was on the track and field team at Texas A&M University at Commerce. These are amazing accomplishments considering her doctors made it clear she would never play sports again.

Gina Patterson is a graduate of Eastfield College with an associates degree in criminal justice (2000), and a recent graduate of Texas A&M - Commerce with a B.S. in kinesiology (2002). She is a USA Track & Field official, as well as an advisory committee member for the study of the recovery and rehabilitation of burns at Univeristy of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Gina works in the Special Services/TRIO Office at Eastfield where she assists students with disabilities. She has also been the assistant volleyball coach for Eastfield since 2000. Gina plans to continue working on her master's degree and to coach or teach volleyball, track and field, or basketball in high school or college.